Sabre
by Anika
Summary: Well, minna-sans, this isn't my ordinary fic,now. Its about...well, just read it, I promise it's really good. I spent two months working on it, it had better be good!
1. Default Chapter Title

Sabre  
Part:1  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own it. Sucks, huh?  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this, Miss Ciara?" Rashid asked, laying a hand on the young, blonde girl's shoulder. She looked around the Maguanac base nervously with its blaring alarm system and men scrambling for their mobile suits.  
  
The girl nodded once, then clamored into her waiting Leo. She took a deep breath as she activated the navigation system; this would be her first battle. As her hands were shakily flying over the controls, she guided her mobile suit out of the main hanger and joined the rest of the core in the battle.  
  
Rashid shook his head knowingly as the base was rocked by another explosion. The Cinq Kingdom's boundaries had been breached by OZ soldiers, and the Maguanacs were rushing to Master Quatre's side. The Winner family, he thought, is fiercly determined and fought for what they beleived in. And Ciara beleived in fighting beside her brother, Quatre. Rashid knew it was useless to try and stop the girl, he had seen just how stubborn she could be. The first time she had been in the Maguanac base, she refused to leave until Quatre had shown her how to pilot a suit.  
  
The core moved out to join the Cinq kingdom's defensive line and drive back the OZ soldiers. The battle had already begun by the time they arrived.  
  
Ciara wasted no time in diving into the fight. Her cutomized suit made short work of the three mobile dolls that imediatly attacked her.  
  
Nolan, another of the Maguanac pilots and her best friend, came thorough on the communications system as she sliced her way through a pack of the unmanned killers.  
  
"You ok?"  
  
"Yeah," she responded, then emitted a promal growl as an enemy suprised her from behind. She spun her suit around, then used her thermal sabre to skewer the machine.  
  
"You Ido/I know that Quatre will kill you if he finds out about you fighting." Nolan's voice again sounded on her intercom.  
  
Ciara sighed while brushing her family's trademark blonde hair out of her eyes. Even though her brother had intructed her on how to pilot a mobile suit, he made her promise not to fight against OZ-ever. He always said that he had lost to many people to the war. But, dammit, she wanted to fight!  
  
"Well, "she grumbled, "Quatre's not going to find out, is he?" Ciara never heard the answer to her question because just then, an explosion racked her suit. She turned to witness her brother's Gundam and Lt. Noin's Tarus demolish half a dozen OZ soldiers. She smiled in pride at her little brother's accomplishment, even though she knew he couldn't see it.  
  
Suddenly, a comunique was patched through the armies.  
  
"My name is Relena Peacecraft, the cheif representitve of the Cinq Kingdom. I do not wish to be the cause of this conflict, because the Cinq Kingdom, under the Peacecraft ideals, is supportive of total pacifism. Therefore, I resign the monarchy, and hereby disolve this nation. Stop the fighting, there is no reason to continue this meaningless bloodbath."  
  
The announcement ended, then dead silence followed.  
  
"No!" Ciara cried, slamming her hand upon the console. "Agh, Kuso! That stupid bitch!" She slumped over in the pilot's chair with hot tears pouring down her cheeks, "Everything we fought for," she muttered impasivley, "She just gave up. She didn't even resist them. Its people like that I'll never understand. And never want to."   
  
Ciara slowly guided her suit back to base, thinking on her first battle. "Not to bad," she thought, "I'm still alive, and our losses were few. But why did Relena Peacecraft just give up? She is most certainly weak."  
  
She landed her mobile suit in the hangar and proceeded to her tent. She needed a nap, a shower, and about three hours to recuperate from her ordeal.  
  
***** *   
  
"Why?"  
  
Ciara fidgeted underneath her brother's intense stare. He hadn't yelled at her, just given her a guilt trip all the way to China and back.  
  
"I wanted to help," she said weakly. Quatre acted like an older brother to her, even though she was a year older. Ever since their mother died, the two youngest Winner's had watched out for each other. Then came the war, and Quatre lost touch with the family. Ciara had come looking for him, and when she found the Maguanacs, she had insisted on fighting with them.  
  
As soon as they had reached camp, Quatre heard his sister was there and sought her out. Presently, they, along with Rashid, were in his tent. Quatre was sitting on on his make shift cot, and the other two were standing before him.  
  
"And you, Rashid," the boy's voice hinted at betrayl. "You let her!! It could have been any other of my 29 sisters, but why you?" He hid his face in his hands to conceal the emotion there. "You could have been killed!"  
  
Ciara sat down by him and put her arm around him.  
  
"No, you taught me well, little brother. I knew how to handle myself out there." She stood as she continued her speech. "I want to be out there fighting with you! For what we beleive in! I could help you! And besides, the Sabre has some special modifications."  
  
Quatre looked up. "What's a Sabre? Its not another Gundam, is it?"  
  
  
She laughed then, a thing she rarely did this side of the war.  
  
"No," she responded. "That's just the name I gave my Leo."  
  
Quatre allowed himself a small grin as he recalled the machine. His sister found the suit in the desert after OZ had first attacked. She rebuilt it, with her own adjustments. When she was finished, the Sabre could only be piloted by herself or Quatre.  
  
"Well," he said after a moment's pause, "Since you're already here, you might as well help us. But I don't like the idea of a woman fighting. Its against our culture."  
  
Ciara stood tersly and retorted,  
  
"Don't give me that crap about culture and society, Quatre. I'm a better pilot than a lot of the Maguanacs, even if I'm not better than you." She crossed her arms as she made her next point. "Besides, look at Lt. Noin!"  
  
"She's different," he exclaimed, suddenly rising.  
  
"Why, because you have a crush on her?"  
  
Quatre blushed, "No. That's not why!! That's not why at all!"  
  
"Ah ha...so you do have a crush on her?"  
  
"I never said that!"  
  
Ciara held her hands up in defeat. "Hey, its ok. I'll just find out from Trowa if you like her or not!"  
  
"Like he would know!" Quatre shot back. When Trowa had stayed at the Winner house in the desert, Ciara had met him, and they became good friends. In fact, she had taught him how to play the flute. (But that's another story for another time!)  
  
He walked over to his sister and placed his hands on her shoulders.  
  
"The reason Lt. Noin is different is because she has had years of military training and experiance, which you have had none of. I wish you wouldn't fight, but I know how stubborn you are."  
  
Ciara grinned as she hugged her brother.  
  
"Thank you for letting me stay."  
  
She gave Quatre one of her rare smiles, then left him and Rashid to talk.  
  
Nolan was leaning on Sandrock as Ciara exited the tent. He rushed up to her and playfully punched her in the arm.  
  
"So, how was the interogation?"  
  
"It was ok," she responded, "I get to stay and fight with you guys."  
  
Nolan chuckled as he slung an arm around his best friend's shoulders.  
  
"I'd like to see him try and stop you."  
  
Ciara hit the black-haired man on the back of the head.  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
"Ok, ok, I'm sorry!!!" He held his hands up resignedly.  
  
*Attention all Maguanac pilots. Please report to the main tent for breifing. Thank you.*  
  
The loudspeaker clicked off, and Nolan took his leave of Ciara. Heading towards the meeting, he was met by Quatre.  
  
"Het, Quatre, what's up?" the pilot asked as the Winner heir approached him. He had a serious look on his face as he drew Nolan aside.  
  
"You know my sister pretty well, right?"  
  
"Well, yeah. I guess."  
  
"Can I ask you to do a favor for me?" the blonde asked him.  
  
"Um...sure. No problem."  
  
"I'm going to outer space with Lt. Noin. I want you to watch out for Ciara while I'm gone; make sure she doesn't get into any trouble. And don't tell her about our 'little agreemant', or she'll never forgive us!"  
  
Nolan nodded in agreement, then the two men shook hands and went to the breifing.  
  
***** *  
Ciara stuffed the last of her clothing in the oversized duffle bag, then surveyed the vacant tent. The Maguanac core was heading back to L5 colony to await Quatre's orders. Presantly, the camp on earth was picking up and pulling out.  
  
She slung the bag over her shoulder and walked towards her transport. She and Nolan were sharing one, because the Sabre's special modifications made it too big to share with the other mobile suits.  
  
Taking out a ragged-edged book from the bag and tucking it under her arm, Ciara ran onto the ship and plopped down in the pilot's seat, awaiting Nolan's arrival.  
  
"Uh-uh. Oh no. You're not driving!"  
  
Ciara heard his voice behind her as she propped her feet up on the console.   
  
"I'm not moving. I'm comforatable."  
  
He proceeded to pick her light frame from the pilot's seat and unceremoniously dump her in the co-pilot's. Nolan took over the captain's chair as Ciara stuck her tongue out at him, then folded her arms to sulk.  
  
"Hey, what's the book?" the Maguanac pilot asked, pointing to the dog-eared volume that had landed on the floor. She picked it up and held in protectively to her.  
  
"Its my journal."  
  
"Can I see it?"  
  
She gave him a funny look, then said,  
  
"No, you baka! You can't see it!"  
  
"I guess I'll just wait 'till you're asleep to read it, like I always do."  
  
She was about to retort back when a blaring voice came over the intercom:  
  
"HEY YOU TWO!!! QUIT BICKERING AND GET A MOVE ON!!!!"  
  
They looked mischeviously at each other.  
  
"Yes, Rashid," Ciara responded, in a sing-song voice.  
  
Nolan started up the ship, and they joined the other Maguanacs in outer space.  
  
***** *  
  
  
"And in other news today, Relena Peacecraft was named the cheif representitive of the Romafeller Foundation . She now has power over 2/3 of the globe-"  
  
Ciara reached out and switched off the radio/alarm clock. Grumbling in discontent, she rolled over and pulled the blankets over her head. A sliver of light streamed through the room and hit the girl in the face, causing her to wince in pain at the sight of first light. Squinting, she sat up, only to see Nolan throwing clothes at her and yelling like a maniac. Yawning, she stated,  
  
"Whatever has you so upset can wait another 15 minutes." The female pilot stretched and laid back against the pillows, fully intent on going back to sleep.  
  
"Not if its an Oz attack!" Nolan's answer jolted her back to conscienceness, and she lept out of bed.  
  
"Well, why didn't you say so?"  
  
"I did, but you were off in God knows what dream."  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
Ciara dressed, then met Nolan at the conn. There were about 50 mobile dolls moving in on the Maguanac Core, but oddly, their transport was out of combat range.  
  
"Nolan, why arn't we engaging?" the blonde inquired,her blue eyes growing wide with curiosity.  
  
"We won't be fighting in this battle." The black-haired man's green eyes were hidden from veiw as he turned his face from her.  
  
"What?!? Why?" Ciara shouted. "If you don't want to fight, that's fine with me, but let me go out there and help!"  
  
Nolan looked at the enraged girl and decided to tell her. Knowing her, she'd find out anyway.  
  
"Quatre made me promise not to let anything happen to you."  
  
Ciara's face became dark as she realized she had been tricked.   
  
"So, my little brother doesn't think I can take care of myself, eh? And neither do you, I suppose. You all think that I'm some sort of fragile thing that will break if dropped. Well, I'll show you!" She turned and began to run towards the mobile suit hangar when Nolan's hand reached out and restrained her.  
  
"I can't let you do that."  
  
Ciara whirled around to face him, eyes flashing angrily.  
  
"I'd like to see you try and stop me!"  
  
A pained look came acrossed the other pilot's face as he raised his other hand.  
  
"I'm sorry, but a promise is a promise. I can't let youu destroy yourself."  
  
He brought his hand down upon the back of the girl's head, then her world went dark. Her body fell limply to the floor, and Nolan gently picked her up and held her against him.  
  
As he was carrying her back to her room, he took his time to examine his friend's face, She was so peaceful when she was unconscience, he thought. The complete opposite of what she was like during her waking hours: loud, rambunctious, always getting into trouble. The one thing about her that always infuriated him was her damned stubborness. She could drive a man insane with her steely tenacity.  
  
She certainly did drive him insane, he thought fondly as her laid her on her bed and tucked the covers up around her. He brushed a few strands of hair out of her face, then left the room, making a mental note to rename the password to the mobile suit hangar. No telling when she would regain conscienceness.  
  
***** *  
  
Ciara woke up in her darkened room with a splitting headache. She growled and flipped off the covers; departing the room, she stormed to the conn and grabbed Nolan by the neck.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" the male pilot squeaked as her fingers closed around his windpipe.  
  
The blonde allowed herself a small smile as she responded,  
  
"You bastard! I can't beleive you hit me! So, to be even, I think I'll kill you."  
  
Nolan's eyes got wide as he struggled against her iron grip.  
  
"No! Please! You don't understand! I had to! I promised!"  
  
She looked at Nolan's pleading, pathethic face, and did the thing that he would least suspect- she laughed. She laughed so hard that tears rolled down her face and her sides hurt. Ciara released her grip on the frightened man and he slipped to the floor while she doubled over with laughter.  
  
"Oh...your face...that look!" she cried, while wiping the tears from her cheeks. "It was priceless!"  
  
Nolan mumbled something incoherent, but it sounded something like "Ha ha, very funny," as he picked himself up off the floor and sat in the pilot seat. Ciara, after regaining her composure, sat in the co-pilot's chair, putting her feet up on the console.  
  
"Hey! Get your feet down!" He smacked at her, but she dodged him.  
  
"Fine! Fine!"  
  
The two sat in silence until Ciara saw a blip on the radar.  
  
"Hey, what's that?"  
  
"I dunno. Let's check it out."  
  
Nolan piloted the shuttle towards the object, and they stared in shock as they recognized the craft.  
  
"Oh my God..." she trailed off.  
  
"Its the remains of the Tallgeese." She and Nolan exchanged glances, then locked a tractor beam onto the white suit.  
  
***** *  
"Hey, Nolan, hand me that plasma inducer," the blonde asked of her companion.  
She crawled out the Sabre's cockpit and held her hand out for the tool.  
  
They, well, more acurately she, was pirating the remains of the white Gundam and applying them to her own suit. So far, her Leo had Gundainium armor, a beam cannon, and a more advanced computer system. At the moment, she was installing the hydralic system from the Tallgeese into the Sabre.  
  
When I get finished with these upgrades, there will be no stopping the Sabre she thought joyfully. She wiped sweat out of her crysal blue eyes and continued her work.  
  
"Ciara, don't you think you should take a break?" the black-haired man inquired, concerned for her health. "You've been working on this thing for 15 hours straight. You nest some rest."  
  
"Yeah, in a minute," she called down, stalling for time. She heard someone climbing up the suit, then saw Nolan's face outside the cockpit.  
  
"No, now!" He hauled her out of her seat and threw her over his shoulder.  
  
"Hey! Put me down! Stop it!," Ciara cried in protest, her small fists beating futily against his back.  
  
"Nope, you're taking a break, and that's final!"  
  
"Fine,"she pouted, "Just put me down, and I'll go with you."  
  
Nolan smiled triumphantly, "Good."  
  
He set her down and she glared at him. She reluctantly followed the Maguanac pilot to the kitchen area of the ship. Ciara sat exhastedly at the table while Nolan searched the 'fridge for food. He appeared a few minuted later with a cup of yogurt, a twinkie, and a bottle of cheap wine.  
  
Ciara cocked an eyebrow. "What, did you forget to run to the grocery store before we left?"  
  
"Ha ha, very funny." Nolan plopped the food down on the table and reached for the twinkie.  
  
"Hey!" The blonde smacked his hand waya and grabbed the cake. He muttered something about her feeling lucky and proceeded in devouring the yogurt.  
  
'SO, Nolan," she started after a moment's silence, "I've known you for two and a half years, abd don't know how old you are."  
  
He gave her a funny look as she took an overly big gulp of wine.  
  
"I'm 17"  
  
"Really? *hic* I'm 16, but you knew that already, didn'y you?"  
  
"Hn," was his only response as he watched her guzzle the liquor. His hand shot out when the bottle became half empty.  
  
"No more for you," Nolan commanded.   
  
Ciara pouted, "You're *hic* not the boss *hic* of me!" He head was resting heavily on her wavering hands.  
  
The Maguanac gave her a wry look, then chugged the remaining alcohol. The girl giggled, then passed out, her head hitting the table with a resounding thump. Nolan peered around the bottle and poked his friend with a finger.  
  
"Hey, Ciara? What's wrong wich you?" Then, unused to binge drinking, Nolan stumbled to the bathroom, were he tripped and hit his head off the toilet seat. He lay there on the cold, tile floor, unconscience and unaware of the trouble that was about to befall them. 


	2. Sabre, Part II

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body  
  
  
pSabre  
pPart 2  
  
  
pCiara awoke to a splitting headache. Without opening her eyes, she tried to bring her hand to her throbbing forehead. Her eyes shot wide when she realized that her wrists were bound behind her back. The room she was in was stark white with no furniture or windows, only a door.  
  
pThe girl struggled to her feet and walked to the door.  
  
p"Hello? Is anyone out there?"  
  
p"Ciara, is that you?" Nolan's voice sounded outside her cell.  
  
p"Nolan!"  
  
pBefore he could answer, the door opened, and two men stalked into the room and grabbed Ciara by each arm. Dragging her into the hallway, she saw that Nolan was getting the same treatment from inside his own cell. They were hauled out of the detention area and onto an elevator.  
  
p"What do you want from us?" The black-haired man demanded. One of their captors cuffed him in the back of the head.  
  
p"Silence!" The man commanded, "You will speak only when Commander Millardo addresses you!"  
  
pCiara and Nolan exchanged nervous glances as they realized where they were.   
  
p"Commander Millardo? As in Millardo Peacecraft?" The blonde girl exclaimed, "That means we're on Libra, and you are part of the White Fang!"  
  
pThe man raised his hand to silence the girl, and his fist struck her in the side of her face as the lift's doors opened to reveal the bridge of the ship.   
  
pNolan lunged at Ciara's attacker, but was restrained by the other men.  
  
p"That's enough, Powers," a firm, but soft voice rang out. Ciara peered through her bangs, blood gushing from the cut on her cheek. A tall man with waist-length platinum hair rose out of the commander's chair, accompanied by a small girl with forked eyebrows.  
  
p"Commander Peacecraft," Ciara remarked as she struggled against her captors.  
  
pHe approached the two wriggling victims with an indifferent air. He stood before the prisoners and crossed his arms.  
  
p"It seems I am at a disadvantage," the commander addressed them, "You know my name, but I don't know yours."  
  
pBoth Ciara and Nolan remained silent.  
  
p"That was a fancy way of saying 'Who the hell are you, and what are you doing with the Tallgeese's remains?" The girl with the weird eyebrows replied. She stalked up to Nolan and slapped him in the face. He never winced, only glared at the blonde.  
  
p"Dorothy, that's enough," Millardo stated in a monotone voice. She backed off and resumed her place at his side.  
  
p"Fine, if you won't tell us voluntarily, we have ways of making you talk." The guards drug them away to a shadowed room as Millardo and Dorothy followed.  
  
pCiara fought against the brute that was holding her when she saw the exam tables and rows of syringes, but to no avail. She was strapped down, then stripped of her shirt so she was only clad in her black cargo pants and sports bra. A man in a white lab coat approached them, but Millardo waved him away, saying,  
  
p"I want Miss Catalonia to handle this personally."  
  
p"With honor, sir," the girl exclaimed, and neared the restrained Ciara. Nolan was doing all he could to break free of the chains they had put him in; he had to protect her.  
  
pDorothy picked up a syringe and tested it. With a gleeful laugh, she plunged it into Ciara's arm. A sharp cry of pain was emitted from her as a single tear escaped her eye. The world began to get hazy as she felt all resistance escape her.  
  
p"Now, what is you name?"  
  
p"My name?...My name is..."  
  
pShe trailed off, her head lolling listlessly to one side.  
  
p"Answer me, god dammit!" Dorothy punched Ciara in the stomach.  
  
p"My name..." she breathed.  
  
p"No! Don't do it!" Nolan yelled. A heavy hand promptly silenced him on the back of his head.  
  
p"My name is..." she fought to regain control, to fight of the drug that was distorting her mind.  
  
p"My name is...Ciara Riley Winner."  
  
pShe relaxed then; exhausted from fighting the serum she had been injected with.  
  
pWinner, eh? thought Dorothy as she prepared another syringe. This one will prove useful to us in the future.  
  
p*******  
  
p"Ciara, wake up," Nolan gently shook the girl awake. They had been moved to living quarters, but had been locked in. She mumbled something incoherent and opened her eyes. Smiling weakly, she looked up into Nolan's worried face and asked softly,  
  
p"What happened to me?"  
  
pNolan knelt down by her side; she was lying in the bed and had numerous cuts and bruises on her body. He brushed her bangs out of her face and whispered,  
  
p"Shh, don't try to talk. They used a truth serum on you, then some other drug that seemed to cause a lot of pain."  
  
pCiara's eyes winced in agony as his hand passed over a cut on her cheek.  
  
p"What did I tell them?" She whimpered, fearing the worst.  
  
p"Nolan took her hand as he told her, "Everything. You told them everything.'  
  
pCiara gave a low groan as she hid her face from him in the pillow.  
  
p"So, they know you're a Maguanac," she mumbled.  
  
p"Yeah, and they know Quatre is you brother. That blonde bitch knew he was a Gundam pilot, which is probably why we're still alive."  
  
p"I betrayed you," she whispered, her words barely audible, "You and Quatre." She tried to sit up, but a sharp twinge in her side made her wince, and she was resigned to stay in her original position.  
  
pNolan reached down and wiped the tears from her face.   
  
p"You didn't betray anyone," he said consolingly, "If anyone is to blame its me. I swore I'd protect you, then knocked myself out on a toilet seat. Oh Gods, Ciara, I'm so sorry."  
  
pShe reached out and pulled him to her. Both were crying hopelessly and hugging each other made them feel a little safer.  
  
p"Did you say your brother's a Gundam pilot?" A small, feminine voice asked form behind them.   
  
pCiara looked over Nolan's shoulder only to see a petite girl with big blue eyes and honey-blonde hair.  
  
p"Relena Peacecraft!" She bellowed as the pilot jumped away from her shout. "You're the bitch who started this whole thing!" Her injuries forgotten, she lunged at the princess, but Nolan restrained her from getting too far out of bed.  
  
pRelena raised a fine eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Violence doesn't solve anything."  
  
pCiara glared at her. "It'll solve a hell of a lot if I kick your prissy little ass right now!"  
  
pRegardless of her wounds, the girl was putting up quite a fight to get free of her friend's grasp.  
  
p"Ciara," he hissed in her ear, "Control yourself! She is obviously in the same predicament that we are, so get a grip!"  
  
pShe gave one last defiant jerk, then became compliant, though she sulked from time to time.  
  
pSitting at a small table, Relena addressed them.  
  
p"So, which pilot is your brother - no, wait, let me guess...Duo? You would have his flare for the dramatics...no, that's not it...Oh wait, I know! Quatre's your brother, right? You look exactly like him!"  
  
p"Except for the long hair and girl parts, yeah," Ciara responded dryly.  
  
p"Ciara, honestly!" Nolan sighed in exasperation. She crossed her arms and pouted.  
  
p"So, why are you here?" The black-haired man asked, in an attempt to recover from Ciara's rude behavior.  
  
p"I came to talk me brother out of this foolish war. Then Dorothy locked me in here."  
  
p"Dorothy? The one with the fucked up eyebrows?"  
  
p"Yup, that's the one."  
  
p"She's dead! She the one who did this to me!" The older girl pointed at the bruises and needle tracked on her arms and legs.  
  
pSuddenly, the door slid open, and the subject of their discussion waltzed in, carrying a bundle.  
  
p"Here. Put this on." She threw the package at Ciara, who looked at it and exclaimed,  
  
p"Why? What the hell is it?"  
  
p"A space suit. You will be using that fancy suit of yours in the upcoming battle, and you'll need this to pilot it in space."  
  
p"And if I refuse?"  
  
pDorothy shrugged and pulled her gun out of its holster and trained it on her head.  
  
p"I'll kill you."  
  
pIt was Ciara's turn to shrug. "I'll be killed in that battle anyway, might as well do it now and get it over with."  
  
pDorothy thought about that statement then suddenly made a change in target. Now, her gun was aimed at Nolan's chest.  
  
p"OK, then, I'll just destroy something that's a little more important to you. You obviously care for him more than your own life, so maybe now you'll do what I say."  
  
pCiara looked from the gun to Nolan to the space suit, then back to Nolan. His eyes were pleading with her to refuse Dorothy's order, to let him die.  
  
pThe torn girl looked down at the floor, defeated.  
  
p"Fine. You win. Just don't kill him.  
  
p"Good, now you're listening to reason," the evil girl replied, lowering her gun. "Follow me to the hangar; there you'll get further instructions."  
  
pFollowing the overbearing girl out the door, Ciara stopped and glanced over her shoulder at Nolan.  
  
p"I'll come back for you, I swear it," she whispered. He walked up to her and wordlessly, they hugged. He handed her the suit, saying,  
  
p"Just stay alive. That's all I'm asking you to do."  
  
pShe nodded then left to catch up with Dorothy. The door slid shut, and he leaned heavily upon it.  
  
p"You love her, don't you?" Asked Relena quietly.  
  
p"Is it that obvious?" He crossed his arms and blushed.  
  
p"You should have told her. You may never see her again."  
  
pNolan grinned. "You don't know Ciara. Loyal to a fault, tough as nails, and stubborn as hell. And I wouldn't have her any other way. She'll be back; she always keeps her word. Always."  
  
p*******  
  
pAs Dorothy led Ciara into the main hangar, they were surrounded by the departing mobile dolls.  
  
p"What makes you think I won't try to escape once I'm out of here?" Ciara asked smugly, struggling with her suit.  
  
pDorothy grinned manically. I have the self-detonation mechanism to your Leo in my hand. And in my other hand, I hold you "friend's" life. I can kill either him or you at any time I wish."  
  
pThe young Winner looked defeated, and shuffled her way towards her suit.  
  
p"So, what do you want me to do?"  
  
p"When the World Nation Space Force attacks, you are to engage the Gundams.  
  
pCiara's mouth became slack-jawed and she looked at Dorothy as if she had just put on high heels and danced the Macarena, while holding and iced tea.  
  
p"Fight...the Gundams? Are you crazy? I'll be killed?"  
  
pThe other girl smirked. "Oh well, you die, your friend dies. I suggest you be careful."  
  
pCiara climbed into the Sabre and left to engage the World Nation. Mechanically slicing her way through to where the Gundams were fighting, she suddenly felt extremely strange. She saw the image of Dorothy in front of her Gundam and began muttering to herself.  
  
p"Must destroy all enemies...Anyone who does harm to my family or me is my enemy...Dorothy Catalonia is my enemy!"  
  
pShe screamed in rage and struck at the shadow of the other girl before her. The specter faded, and she found her energy sword embedded in a mobile doll.   
  
pCiara was sweating heavily and breathing hard. Suddenly, another apparition appeared before her. She was using the Tallgeese's modified beam cannon to blow up Libra. She saw the death of Relena...Quatre...and Nolan in the explosion.  
  
p"NOOOO!" She cried, banging her hands on the console, "What have I done?" Her head cleared, and she witnessed the battle before her.  
  
p"What's happening to me?" She yelled, diving back into the fray. Ciara had recognized some of the symptoms she was experiencing; Quatre had fought like that when he was under the influence of the...  
  
p"Those fucking bastards!" She screamed, shaking off three dolls in her efforts to engage the Gundam pilots. "They installed the Zero System in my suit! They're going to pay!"  
  
pIn that instant, a reddish-orange Gundam appeared in front of her and began firing. Dodging the bullets, Ciara brandished her energy saber and made a downward swipe at Heavy-Arms, who sidestepped.  
  
p"I don't want to fight you!" She yelled into the intercom.  
  
p"And yet, you continue to attack me," a calm voice answered. Ciara recognized that voice. Trowa...was it? Yes, that was it, the one she met when he had stayed at their home. So, if Trowa was there, than that meant...  
  
p"Trowa! Is Quatre here?"  
  
p"What? Who is this?"  
  
p"It's Ciara, his sister!" She flipped on the visual so he could verify her identity.  
  
p"Yeah, he's here. He went inside to find Dorothy."  
  
p"What?!? Why?"  
  
p"He believes she can be saved."  
  
pCiara shook her head in disbelief. So like Quatre, to try and see the good in people, even the evil ones. "Come on, Trowa, we have to find Quatre before he gets himself killed.  
  
p*******  
  
pNolan and Relena were sitting in the locked room, watching the battle out the window, and feeling hopeless.  
  
p"Damn it!" Nolan shouted when he couldn't take it anymore. He slammed his hands down on the table. "I should be out there fighting, not her!"  
  
p"Yelling about it won't change anything," Relena said calmly.  
  
p"I know, I"m just so frustrated," Nolan stated. Just then, the door slid open to reveal a boy with tousled brown hair and piercing blue eyes.  
  
p"What do you want?" Nolan demanded, rising to a defensive posture. Relena walked around him and greeted the stranger.  
  
p"Hello, Heero."  
  
p"Come on, let's get out of here," he said in his monotone voice, then turned to go.   
  
pSo, that's the guy she was telling me about. Nolan thought, Well, she had better tell him how she feels, before it's too late.  
  
pHe followed them out of the room and then went off in his own direction-towards the mobile suit hangar.  
  
p*******  
  
p"Stay here; I'm going to go ahead in. I'll find him and bring him out," Trowa's calm voice sounded over the intercom. He piloted Heavyarms down a dark hallway, leaving Ciara at the hole they had blown in the hull of Libra.  
  
pYeah, right, she thought as she turned her Leo in the opposite direction. Making sure she was out of Trowa's sight, she proceeded into the heart of the space ship.  
  
pI'm never going to find my brother in this thing, she thought. She found a place to stash her suit and floated down to a computer console.  
  
p"Computer, locate Dorothy Catalonia." She figured if she could get to that conniving witch before Quatre or Trowa, both there lives might be spared.  
  
pThere was a slight whirring, then the computer gave the correct coordinates- Mobile Doll Control.  
  
pI should've figured. Ciara walked down the hallway, took a left, went up to the 47th floor on the elevator, then took the first door on the right.  
  
pShe strode in the appropriate room, just in time to see Dorothy stab her brother in the side. Suddenly, there was a red haze that seemed to fade over everything. Ciara slowly walked forward and took Quatre's disguarded sword in her hand. Her space helmet was still on, so Dorothy didn't recognize her.  
  
p"Hmm, and who might you be?" She asked, sword in hand, "Perhaps one of the Gundam pilots?"  
  
pVery methodically, Ciara advanced on Dorothy, making an accusing statement with every stride.  
  
p"First, you kidnapped my friend and I. I was OK with that. Then, you tortured me and threatened Nolan's life. I was able to handle that, too. I might have been able to forgive you for sending me into battle unknowingly with the Zero System. But you will not get away with hurting my brother. Dorothy Catalonia, you will die."  
  
pShe slowly lifted her helmet to reveal her identity.  
  
p"Ciara Riley Winner," Dorothy responded, "It's so nice to see you again. I hope you aren't as weak as your brother was."  
  
pShe let out a primal scream and attacked. Ciara blocked her sword with her own, then used leverage to knock her opponent off balance. Dorothy fell backwards, but caught her herself. Swinging around, her blade cut Ciara's left shoulder.   
  
p"First blood," Ciara noted, "Touche"  
  
pShe saluted Dorothy with her rapier, then lunged at her. Dorothy neatly sidestepped the thrust and caught Ciara with the edge of her sword against her throat. Wide-eyed, the young Winner stood straight and dropped her sword.  
  
p"The duel is mine," Dorothy gloated. "I believe I was mistaken. You are weak, just like your brother."  
  
pAt the mention on Quatre, she looked over to see his lifeless form hovering in the low gravity, blood spilling from his wound to the floor.  
  
p"Listen," Ciara reasoned, "I've had a really bad day, and I don't want to kill you. So if you'll just remove your sword from my gullet, I'll let you live."  
  
pDorothy laughed then, a short, contemptful laugh.  
  
p"You. My dear, are in no position to be making demands. Do you know how long I've been looking forward to killing you? Ever since I laid eyes on you. I want you to know, I consider this an honor."  
  
pShe drew her sword back for the final blow, then hesitated when she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. Looking down, she saw a gun in Ciara's hand, pointed at her midriff. Dorothy felt the blood from the gunshot seep through her space suit, and the sword clattered to the floor. She fell to her knees gripping her stomach.  
  
p*******  
  
pNolan rounded yet another corner. They all looked the same to him. He sighed in defeat; he was lost. So much for coming to the rescue he thought to himself. He was about ready to give up when he saw a familiar figure at a computer console. He walked up to the boy and asked,  
  
p"Trowa, right?"  
  
pThe younger man whirled on him, gun in hand. "Who are you?"  
  
p"Whoa, whoa!" Nolan shouted, raising his hands, "put the gun away! My name's Nolan, I'm with the Maguanac Core, and I'm looking for Ciara, Master Quatre's sister."  
  
pTrowa lowered his weapon and turned back to the console,  
  
p"It seems that she is in the Mobile Doll Control Room." His voice died off as he realized whom else was in there. "Dorothy's there, too."  
  
pThe two men ran towards the room.  
  
p"How do you know Ciara?" Trowa asked as they entered the elevator.  
  
p"She's my best friend," Nolan answered.  
  
p"Funny, she never mentioned you."  
  
p"What do you mean?"  
  
pTrowa gave the pilot a sidelong glance from underneath his bangs before answering.   
  
p"We were...close. I met her when I stayed with Quatre. She's an amazing person."  
  
pNolan blinked. Close? What does he mean, close? She never mentioned this guy, much less any closeness. He was fuming by this time. Trowa fell silent as the lift's doors opened, and they walked down the endless maze of hallways and corridors.  
  
p*******  
  
p"Ciara..." a voice behind her murmured. She turned to see Quatre kneeling and holding his side.  
  
p"Can you stand?" She asked him, giving him her shoulder to lean on.  
  
p"Wait," he said, then turned towards Dorothy, who was now laying sprawled on the floor, a pool of blood surrounding her motionless body. He lightly ran his hands over her face, closing her lifeless eyes.  
  
p"OK, lets go."  
  
pCiara looked at her brother's disturbed face. "I'm sorry, Quatre. I know you think she could have been changed, but you didn't see that monster that was inside her. Maybe with enough time and patience, she could have been turned. But there just wasn't time..."  
  
p"I know, sis," Quatre broke in. "You did it in self-defense. She would have killed you, and I don't think I would have been able to live with myself knowing that you died for me."  
  
pAs they exited the room, they ran into both Trowa and Nolan, who was giving the younger pilot a death glare.  
  
p"Here, take him." Ciara shoved Quatre at Trowa, then silently approached Nolan.  
  
p"Hey."  
  
p"Hey."  
  
p"I told you I'd come back for you, didn't I?"  
  
p"Yeah, you did."  
  
pCiara spontaneously hugged him. And he was taken aback, but only for an instant.  
  
p"What was that for?"  
  
pCiara looked him in the eye and said,  
  
p"The last few hours have made me see what is really important to me. I don't want to go into the next era without you knowing what I have to say. Nolan, I..." She took a deep breath.  
  
p"Ciara, shh," Nolan hushed her, his finger upon her lips, "Don't say anything right now. Save it for when we get out of this mess. The Maguanac Core is here, and we have to help them."  
  
pShe nodded, and the two left for their suits.  
  
p*******  
  
p"Master Quatre, do you need any help here?" Rashid's deep voice sounded over the communications system.  
  
p"Yeah! Hey, sure!" Quatre replied, then winced as an explosion racked his suit. I hope Nolan had enough sense to get Ciara out of here!  
  
p"Sorry we're late," cried a frantic voice over the open channel. A Leo with white armor appeared behind them, along with one of the standard Maguanac Core.  
  
p"Miss Ciara, is that you?" Rashid inquired. He never got an answer, for the two mysterious suits began to cause some serious damage to the wounded section of Libra.  
  
pJust then, The Gundam 05 rounded a corner and handed Zero its buster rifle.   
  
p"Here, you might need this," the pilot said.  
  
p"Mission Accepted," Heero replied.  
  
p"All hands, retreat! Get the hell out of here!" Bellowed Rashid, as everyone fled the falling section on Libra.  
  
pEveryone waited in silence, holding his or her breath in the darkness of space. The Earth watched as their immanent demise hurtled towards them. Then, a great explosion lit up the sky and the outline of Wing Zero was seen appearing from the light. Many cheers of thanks and congratulations were heard as Heero rejoined the group.  
  
p*******  
  
p"And that's how I got on board Libra the second time," concluded Ciara, who was speaking to the enthralled Gundam pilots.  
  
p"So, you know about the Zero System then," commented Heero.  
  
p"Yeah, but I'm uninstalling it from the Sabre. I'm not big on things that put the mind woogie on me."  
  
pAfter a while, the group broke up. They were in an airport for their last meeting, much to Heero's insistence. Ciara pulled Nolan aside when she saw Heero with a teddy bear. He boarded a plane, then got back off. Suddenly, Relena appeared in the window.  
  
p"Heero."  
  
pHe turned to face her. She pulled out the card that was with the bear and tore it into two.  
  
p"Next time, give it to me in person."  
  
pHis face softened for a moment, and he walked away. Nolan walked up behind him.  
  
p"Can I give you some advice, from soldier to soldier?"  
  
p"Yeah, sure. I guess."  
  
p"You should tell her. How you feel, I mean. You may never see her again."  
  
pHeero raised an eyebrow and he thought the statement over in his mind.  
  
p"Oh, what the hell?"  
  
pHe raced back on board the plane and sat down in the seat next to a shocked Relena.  
  
p"What? The bear was just saving my place! I swear it!"  
  
pOutside, Ciara came up behind Nolan.  
  
p"What did you say to him?" She asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.  
  
p"I told him to tell the girl he loves how he really feels," he responded.  
  
p"That's good advice. Who told you that?"  
  
p"Relena."  
  
p"How ironic."  
  
pAnd uncomfortable silence formed between them, and they stared awkwardly at each other. Finally, Ciara broke the quiet.  
  
p"You know what I wanted to tell you on Libra, but couldn't?"  
  
pNolan raised an eyebrow, but decided to humor her. "What's that?"  
  
pShe smiled a small smile. "I wanted to tell you that if you died, I don't think I could have lived with myself; knowing that it would've been my fault." She swallowed, choking back a sob that had begun to form in the back of her throat. "I don't ever want to live without you, Nolan. You mean too much to me.  
Nolan was taken aback. He never expected her to feel this way about him. All the times he wanted to tell her his feelings for her, but too scared that she would reject him. He put his arms around her small waist and whispered softly in her hair,  
  
p"I never want to be without you, either, kid." He reached up and caressed her cheek with his hand. As they closed the distance between them, their eyes closed in anticipation on the coming kiss. Neither was disappointed.   
  
pCiara felt Nolan's lips softly brush her own, first gently, then more bold. She teased him with the tip of her tongue and pulled away, suddenly aware of their surroundings.  
  
pFrom a distance, Quatre and Trowa were watching with growing interest.  
  
p"Well, he may be a good fighter, a good friend, and a great pilot, but her certainly was a lousy bodyguard," Quatre steamed, violently throwing various articles into his knapsack.  
  
p"Yeah, but I don't think you'll have to worry about him protecting your sister anymore. Look," Trowa indicated at the two, who were still in the middle of their kiss. Trowa was barley able to hide his disappointment.  
  
pQuatre's eyes widened.  
  
p"Do they not have to breath or anything? HEY YOU TWO!!! STOP NECKING AND GET OVER HERE!!" He yelled so loud that the whole colony heard.  
  
pBlushing, they walked over to where the two pilots were waiting for them.  
  
p"So, what are you guys going to do, now that the wars over?" Ciara asked.  
  
p"I'm going home to see my sister, and perform in the circus again."  
  
p"I guess I'll go back to being the Winner heir again," Quatre sighed. Ciara nudged her younger brother in the side.  
  
p"You make it sound as if it were a chore."  
  
p"It is."  
  
p"Then it that case, I could take over for you!" Quatre playfully swatted at his sister, and said,  
  
p"You wish."  
  
p"What about you, Nolan?" Trowa asked. "What are you going to do?"  
  
p"Well, Ciara and I decided that we would join this group on Earth headed by Sally Po called the Preventers. Figured we needed to see more of the world before some other psycho decides to blow it up."  
  
pEveryone laughed at this statement, and then said their good byes.  
  
pCiara hugged her brother fiercely, holding back the tears that were once again threatening to fall.  
  
p"I'll see 'ya around, ok, bro?"  
  
p"OK, sis."  
  
pShe gave him a small peck on the cheek and walked away from him. Walking towards Trowa, Ciara noticed Nolan's expression darken. I wonder what's gotten into him?  
  
p"Thank you, Trowa. For everything." She gave him a quick hug, catching him off guard.  
  
p"I...uh...you're welcome," he stuttered out, barley able to form words.  
  
pCiara walked over to Nolan and took his hand in hers. Together they stepped onto the shuttle headed for Earth, and their future.  
  
pAs the shuttle was lifting off, Ciara heard her brother call from outside,  
  
p"Bye sis! Promise to come visit me!"  
  
pCiara leaned out the window and shouted,  
  
p"As if you could get rid of me that easily!"  
  
pSitting back in her seat, she nestled into Nolan's strong arms and dreamed of the future that they would have together.  
  
  
pThe End  
  
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